Here we are nearing the end of another year and my heart is questioning, wondering how the new year will shape up, what goals should I set, have I been a blessing to others in this past year?

This year, 2016 has been rich with the blessing of change, of blessed new friendships and allowing the Lord to “lead the blind in a way they do not know” is nearly over and one theme runs throughout. That theme is the Lord’s never failing faithfulness to us.

My ‘God time’ or private quiet times have changed in that I am no longer alone all day every day and that is nothing short of a blessing as my husband and I embark on this new journey of retirement. We are walking together, being active and I am living out my faith instead of being secluded with Him.

Blessed have I been in the several years where I was able to sit with Him, learn to wait upon Him and know His voice and recognise the nudging of the Holy Spirit. The course of the river changes and it became time to rise up and walk and stand in the faith and love He has given me.

So I have been walking and standing this year as opposed to sitting and waiting and writing. And its been good even though I have sorely missed the writing while more keenly sensing that directional shift the Lord has been creating. I am exactly where I am meant to be and just because I am doing something different does not mean I have missed it!

Pressing on and pressing in to Jesus has not been difficult this year; the pressing has just been shaped a little differently. His faithfulness has always been a beacon of light that has encouraged us and inspired us to keep on mining gold nuggets from the Word. We have learned a greater confidence in the Lord as our hearts have chosen to steadfastly trust Him.

One of the biggest lessons learned this past year has been to not look at what I can see in the natural, to not make judgements based on what my natural eyes see. We are a blessed people when we walk in the way of the Lord.

His heart’s greatest longing is that we would keep His law of love and learn to love one another the way He has loved us.

He wants us to experience the height, depth, breadth and length of His love and we cannot do that if we are making judgements about one another based on what we see. We can use our hands and arms to reach out to others in love instead of keeping them at arm’s length.

When we reach out we are then exercising the length of His love and in the welcome and embrace we show a portion of the breadth of the love of God.

Yes, God has been faithful, His faithfulness has known no bounds and He has used every situation He can to bring my heart into alignment with His so He can transform me into His very own image.

We, who are righteous with faces unveiled and seeing eyes will continue to behold the Word of God as a mirror. The mirror of God’s word will reflect back to us the 3D image of ourselves. He will reveal the truth to us about our spirit, soul and body, synchronizing us and bringing us into alignment with Him. As He reveals Himself in us and to us, we will grow in ever increasing beauty as we reflect His pure and beautiful image.

Knowing He is faithful, may we run to Him so we are able to run the course of our race with Him. May we clearly hear His voice on the wind and soar with Him to places not yet imagined but oh so necessary for the building up of the saints of God and those to come.

Will you position yourselves and allow Him to prepare you for readiness as a participator in the works of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Will you position yourself next to Him and grasp the greatness of His love for you and His never failing faithfulness and close out this year feeling the comfort of the cushion of His love?

When we make a decision to walk in the ways God has set out for us we soon realize several things that melt our hearts with love for Him. And when we do walk in His ways, His heart melts with love for us!

As Lord of All, He is Kind, Benevolent, Merciful and Gracious – He is these things towards us and we are the first in His heart. His heart is set on us and will not be moved.

His thoughts towards us are as the sand of the sea…we will never comprehend or fully know how much He is always thinking about us and how He considers us to be the shiny, untarnished, unblemished apple of His eye.Continue Reading

Keeping the commandments-the greatest one love for God and love for people drives us to abide in the love of God. His word teaches us the logistics of love.

What sweeter place can there be? What better hiding place when we discover we do not have the natural ability to love as He has.

When we find it difficult to keep the commandment to love we then must choose to obey by faith the Lord’s instructions to love and to meditate on what He has taught us about the logistics of love.

I shall love the Lord my God, I shall because I am obliged to do so – I obey and the fruit of my obedience is blessing! And His enabling power to love who I cannot.

When we have chosen to deliberately set our wills to love God by our obedience to His Word we will discover that we are abiding in His love and living out of that determination to keep the Father’s commandments.

How many times are our hearts apprehensive when we hear the words of Jesus speak to our hearts to love one another just as He has loved us? It isn’t everyone of us who is easy to love after all!

One might think He was asking too much of us until we consider Jesus who said and continues speaking out the truth that ” we are His friends if we keep on doing the things which He commands us to do” see John 15:14.

But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.”

I have called you My friends…

He looks out at the sea of humanity and declares His friendship with each person.Continue Reading

He was growing weary of this unchanging routine day after day. Sure, he was thankful for his buddies who were willing to carry his lame body day after day to the Beautiful Gate, but life didn’t feel very beautiful there. And yet it was no ordinary gate for Ezekiel 43:1-4 speaks of how the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east, the Beautiful Gate.

He felt forgotten about, lonely and largely ignored by those who passed by. Feeling ignored and lonely were feelings he had hardened himself to as one day turned into a month that turned into years and here he was. Still spending his days begging alms and praying.

“Alms are noted as being compassionate, charitable gifts as exercised toward the poor. The tender heart of the giver is showing mercy and compassion to the poor.” They really hadn’t helped him that much as he thought about the depth of his need, the never changing hunger, the ever growing desire for something more, something beyond his reach.

He had to admit his praying had created a hunger inside him for more than just food and money. He wanted so much more but couldn’t quite put a finger on his need and what would meet it.Continue Reading

Our precious Jesus will be faithful to show His goodness and kindness towards us, enabling us to walk in those same qualities as we allow Him to teach us through our affliction experiences.

Can you see the truth dawning in your heart? Can you see the light of His Word becoming brighter and brighter so it alone shines as a beacon in your heart? Is understanding now brightening your mind?

Come ~ come to a place in your walk where you are able to give thanks in times of affliction because you know God is at work in you to purpose and do His will, His good pleasure.

From the open hand of God will come to us His correction and discipline, and we must not shrink back from Him. He will stir up issues in our lives simply to get our attention and help us recognize our greater need of Him. We will see beyond ourselves to the greater purposes of God, knowing that He paid the penalty, the full redemption price for all our sin. May God help us to persevere in our ‘pressure cooker’ situations. They are there not to drag us down, but to draw us ever closer. Don’t respond or react to the taunts of the enemy, but listen for that still, small voice that is ever speaking to us, ever longing to be heard.